Drinking Partners by Allie Ritch

Being the master vampire for the Mid-Atlantic Territory is a tough job. Between the Human Rebellion trying to kill him with poisonous suicide donors and snobby born vampires bucking his authority, Lucas Thane has his hands full. What he needs is a regular drinking partner to feed from and a bigger power block. He finds both in the form of Alexandra Gage, the master of the territory south of his. Alex could use a little help herself, but she has no intention of letting Lucas take over. Turned into a vampire against her will, she has had enough control taken from her. She’ll never let Lucas usurp her right to rule, but will she let him steal her heart? Passion ignites between them, and it’s amazing what vampire bodies can do.

Give us the one to two sentence tagline for your book.

When lust and bloodlust collide

How do you use magic in your book?

The vampires in my book are ageless, and in the heroine’s case, she was gifted with extra strength and speed.

Would your hero enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, or apple bobbing?

My hero is a vampire, so he can’t eat human food anymore. Given that he predates pumpkin spice lattes and candy corn, I suspect he’d pick apple bobbing, if he had the choice.

What costume would your heroine wear to a halloween party?

Alex tends to wear the hood up on her leather coat, to maintain an air of mystery. Those who haven’t seen her up close often mistake her for male and even think she might be some ancient monk who targets vampires. If she was feeling humorous, I think she’d go to a Halloween party dressed as a monk.

What scene did you adore writing in this book?

I had fun with all the scenes in this book. Drinking Partners has hot love scenes, gun play, alternate history, and wicked fang action. This novel was a blast to write from start to finish.

Is this book a spooky/scary PNR, or a cozy/snuggling with a monster PNR?

Drinking Partners is the edgiest PNR I’ve written. The humor is dark, and the fight scenes are a little graphic à la Kill Bill.

What is your favorite monster to write?

The first PNR book I ever wrote was a vampire romance, so those fanged supernaturals will always have a special place in my heart.

If you had to pick, would you rather have fangs, claws, or wings?

You mean I have to choose?! The fangs would look cool, but I’d probably bite my lip. I’d be badass with claws, but I might accidentally ruin my upholstery with them. Although wings would let me fly, they’d be tough to accommodate if I want to sit or lie down to relax. I just can’t decide. Unless they’re all retractable. Then…okay, I still want all three, so I can’t make up my mind.

Halloween’s coming. Do you do anything special to celebrate?

On Halloween, I suspend all reasonable notions of calories, nutrition, or portion control and eat candy I would never have in the house the rest of the year. I’ve also been known to dress up in costume to answer the door to trick-or-treaters, and I set the mood with spooky music.

He dropped his hand from her scalp to her arm and slid his fingertips to her inner elbow. “We’ll have to wait until you heal to explore more, but perhaps you’d like a preview of what vampire bodies can do? We have sharper senses than humans. We have better sight, hearing, and smell, of course. And we have a far more acute sense of touch.”

Alex released an embarrassingly loud moan. All he was doing was touching her arm, and her whole body became an open nerve ending. Goose bumps spread across her body and made her shiver in delight. Her sex bloomed for him, spilling moisture onto the crotch of her panties until she was sure he had to feel it through his pant leg.

All rational thought abandoned her when he continued to stroke her skin down to her wrist. With her free hand, she fisted the thick, silky hair at the back of his head and pulled his lips to hers. His mouth was already open to receive her, his tongue quick to follow. Heat exploded between them, more nourishing than the richest blood she’d ever swallowed. It filled her until she felt as if she’d burst.

She’d had no idea she could feel such sexual intensity. Their tongues tangled and dueled for supremacy, and neither of them gave any quarter. The feel of her fangs extending only made her more aggressive. She would have mounted him then and there if he hadn’t held her still on his lap. Then she felt his fangs framing her questing tongue like bookends. The reminder that he was also a vampire—that she was kissing a vampire—slammed into her and made her pull back.

Lucas released her instantly, though he kept her from moving too much and reopening her wounds. He remained still until she stopped panting. She could feel both their heartbeats galloping like they’d come fresh from a battle. In a way, maybe they had.
“It’s all right.” He cupped the side of her head and eased it down to rest on his shoulder. “You’re a sensual woman, Alexandra Gage. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Allie Ritch is a multi-published author of steamy sci-fi and paranormal romance. Her works include her bestselling Children of Nanook series, her popular Alien Sex Ed series, and other books that feature shifters, psychics, genetically engineered husbands, vampires, and other interesting characters.

She has an active imagination and enjoys entertaining others through storytelling. Allie lives in her own little world in the Southeastern United States, where she spends time appreciating the ocean and sunshine.

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